Lady&#39;s garment.



v A. W. POWELL.

LADY'S GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED Jim 27; 1908.

Patented Jan. 5

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LADY'S GARMENT.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 27. 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

51mm" to:

THE NURRIS PETERS co., WASYHINGTGN, D. c.

A. W. POWELL. LADY'S GARMENT. nPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 27 .1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Witnesses THE HQRRIVS PETERS CO4. wAsHmaTonL D. c.

A. W. POWELL.

LADYS GARMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED mm: 21, 1908.

908,496. Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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ALMA WEBSTER POWELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LADYS GARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application filed June 27, 1908. Serial N 0. 440,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMA l/VEBSTER POWELL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn and city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ladies Garments, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates primarily to waterproof dress protectors. Its loose -fitting outer garment of this description is a raincoat made of thin waterproof goods, or of other suitable material. It may instead be an opera cloak made in embroidered broadcloth, velvet or the like, and would be most useful for ladies going anywhere in their best gowns; or it may be a duster coat for use as a dust protector in traveling in railway carriages, automobiles, etc.

The leading object of the invention is to adapt such a garment when not in use to be carried out of sight in the form of drapery on an underskirt or petticoat adapted also to perform the ordinary purposes of such an undergarment, and which may be of any ordinary close-fitting make, but is preferably gored and fitted to the form, as regards its upper portion.

The invention consists in a peculiarly constructed rain coat or the like, hereinafter sometimes termed the outer garment, adapted to be attached in the form of soft drapery to the outside of an underskirt, and in each of several novel combinations of parts, all as hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Four sheets of drawings accompany this specification as parts thereof.

Figure 1 is a front view showing the outer garment, in the form of drapery, attached to the underskirt; Fig. 2 is a back view corresponding to Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a side view showing the outer garment in its drapery form; Fig. 4 is a front view of the underskirt Fig. 5 is a detail View of one of the shoulder portions of the outer garment; Fig. 6 is a front view of the outer garment, detached from the underskirt and partly open; Fig. 7 is a back view of the upper portion of the outer garment, with one shoulder opening unfastened; Fig. 8 is a small scale front view showing a preferred form in which the outer garment is worn as a rain coat; and Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive are views of the respective main patterns, hereinafter more particularly referred to '1 Like reference characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The garments affected by the invention are a loose-fitting outer garment, Affor 0ccasional use as a rain coat or the like, and an underskirt, B, adapted for continuous use as a petticoat. The material of which the outer garment A is made depends on its intended use, as aforesaid, and is not considered a material part of this invention.

In construction, the outer garment A is characterized by fastenable shoulder openings, 1 and 2, extending from its neck opening, 3, through the open extremities, 4 and 5, of its arm portions, where the forearms of the wearer protrude. Also by a fastenable front opening, 6, extending from top to bottom. t is provided with suitable fastenings, 77, 8-8 and 99, for said shoulder openings 1 and 2 and said front opening 6, respectively these fastenings being preferably and conveniently self-fastening in the form of two-part metallic snap fastenings, the respective members of which are sewed to the opposing edges.

The outer garment A is provided internally at what may be termed a waist line with a tape, 10, Fig. 6, or the like, and is adapted to fold upon the waist line thus determined when said shoulder openings 1 and 2 and said front opening 6 are unfastened. It is also adapted to fold on a line, 03-90, Fig. 6, substantially parallel with said waist line. Said outer garment A is also provided with attaching devices, 11 and 12, Fig. 6, preferably in two circumferential rows, and each of them preferably in the form of one member of one of said snap fastenings.

The attaching devices, 11, of the lower row are secured externally to the lower edge of the outer garment A, and the attaching de vices, 12, of the upper row are preferably and conveniently secured to said internal waist line tape 10, and ordinarily concealed from view therewith.

The two sides of the outer garment are or may be symmetrical, and each of them is composed of front pieces, a, and b, and back pieces, 0 and (1, extending from neck and shoulder to the lower edge of the garment; its sleeve portions being integral with adjoining body portions.

The neck opening 3 is formed in or by the upper ends of the front pieces a and the back pieces d, and the arm openings 4 and 5 are formed in the front pieces I), and the back pieces 0. Where the edges of saidshoulder openings 1 and 2 and portions of said neck opening 3 and arm opening 5 show in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, they are marked respectively 1, 2, 3, and 5. The patterns of said pieces, a, b, c and (Z, are represented respectively by Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, and are marked respectively a, I), c and d.

For the purposes of this invention, the underskirt, B, fully exposed to view in Fig. 4, is or may be an ordinary gored or shaped petticoat of any preferred material. For attaching the outer garment, A, in its drapery form, the underskirt B is provided with two circumferential rows of attaching devices, 11 and 12, which are counterparts of said snap-fastening attaching devices 11 and 12 of the outergarment.

The lower row of attaching devices, 11, is located about one foot above the hem or lower edge of the underskirt, B, or at what is hereinafter termed for convenience a knee line; and the upper row (12) is located about one foot below the waist line of the skirt, or at what is hereinafter termed for convenience, a hip line.

Assuming that the outer garment, A, is fully detached as in Fig. 6, its lower attaching devices, 11, are first engaged with said attaching devices 11 at the knee line of the underskirt, B. It is then drawn upward around the underskirt, and its waist-line attaching devices 12 are engaged with said hipline attaching devices 12 of the underskirt; the lower portion of the outer garment forming said fold indicated by the line a:;r; in Fig. 6.

The upper part of the outer garment, A, falls outward and drapes itself loosely in raceful folds around the outside of the folded portion, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and completes what is herein termed the drapery form of the outer garment, the folds of which are sufficiently soft and accommo-.

dating to adjust themselves beneath even a very light outer dressskirt. The sleeve portions fold inward as indicated in Fig. 3 by dotted lines at 2 and 5.

Should a storm come up suddenly, and the wearer wish to protect her dress by a rain coat constructed and carried as above, the

. upper attaching devices 1212 are quickly unsnapped, leaving the lower attaching de vices 11-11 untouched. Then by bringing the upper part of the coat, A, up around and outside of the dress skirt, it forms a sort of bag all the way around the bottom of the dress, in which the whole dress skirt rests or lies loosely. The upper part of the coat, A, is then drawn up to the shoulders; its shoulder openings 1 and 2 are closed and fastened, and it is fastened down the front at 6, so as to form a neat loose-fitting coat in the shape represented by Fig. 8. As the coat, A, in this form, ends a few inches above appearance, and may the lower edge or hem of the petticoat or underskirt, B, it is advisable to face the underskirt B below that point with the same material used in the coat or some other water-proof goods, in customary manner.

On arriving at her destination, the wearer of the coat, A, if it is wet, can unsnapit entirely from the petticoat, B, as in Fig. 6, and hang it .up to dry. If not wet, it can very easily be replaced as at first, by resnapping the upper attaching devices, 12 12, so asto resume its hidden drapery form beneath the dress skirt.

The coat, A, Fig. 8, hanging from the shoulders, and weighted with a train gown, hangs evenly, and the train is not subjected to the damage of being pulled and crushed by the hand.

Made up as an opera coat or a duster coat, the outer garment A may be worn fully detached as represented by Fig. 6. In this form the outer garment resents an ordinary e made to look as attractive and stylish as may be desired; or it can be attached as in the rain coat, to protect the train of the gown.

The change from drapery to coat can be made by a lady in the street without raising the dress skirt high enough to cause her embarrassment.

When the outer garment A is detached from the underskirt B, the latter retains its usual petticoat character.

The outer garment A can, of course, be modified as to shape and proportions; attaching devices and other fastenings of any preferred construction may be employed; and other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention, and desire to patent under this specification:

1. A loose-fitting rain coat or like outer garment composed of front and back pieces extending from neck and shoulder to the lower edge of the garment, constructed with sleeve portions integral with adjoining body portions, and having a fastenable front opening extending from top to bottom, and fastenable shoulder openings extending from the neck opening through the arms of the garment, and provided with suitable fastenings therefor; the garment being adapted in its open condition to be folded on a waist line, and to be attached in the form of drapery around the upper portion of an underskirt when so folded.

2. The combination, substantially as here inbefore specified, of an underskirt provided externally with attaching devices at or about a hip line, and a loose-fitting outer garment having waist line attaching devices to engage with the attaching devices on the underskirt; said outer garment having afront opening extending from top to bottom and shoulder openings, provided with suitable fastenings, and adapted to fold along its waist line into the form of drapery when so attached.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore specified, of an underskirt rovided externally with two rows of attac ing devices at or about a knee line and at or about a hip line, respectively, and a loose-fitting outer garment having external attaching devices at its lower edge to engage with the knee line attaching devices on the underskirt and internal waist line attaching devices to engage with said hip line attaching devices on the underskirt, respectively; said outer garment having a front opening extending from top to bottom and shoulder openings, provided with suitable fastenings, and adapted to fold along its Waist line into the form of drapery when so attached.

4. In combination with an underskirt, provided externally with attaching devices in the form of snap fastening members at or about a knee line, and with like attaching devices at or about a hip line, respectively, a loose-fitting outer garment having external attaching devices in the form of snap fastening members at its lower edge adapted to engage with said knee-line attaching devices on the underskirt, and internal waist-line attaching devices of the same form adapted to engage with said hip-line attaching devices on the underskirt, respectively, said outer garment having a fastenable front opening extending from top to bottom and fastenable shoulder openings provided with suitable fastenings, and adapted in its open condition to be folded on its waist line and to drape itself in loose folds around said undershirt when attached thereto, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

ALMA WEBSTER POWELL.

Witnesses:

JAMES D. DOUGHERTY, M. G. CASSA. 

